Love Child
by MilitaryWife
Summary: Emma's 17 & has a four month old daughter but hasn't told very many people who the father is. Sean returns to Toronto after being gone for over a year. He's back to proclaim his love for Emma but how will he feel when he finds out about her daughter?
1. Chapter 1

-1Chapter 1

"Waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" Emma heard the baby cry over the baby monitor. She yawned and rolled over in her bed to look at the alarm clock. It read 5:00am. She could see the sun starting to come through her basement window. She was not excited to be getting up this early but understood she had to because this was part of mother hood.

She rose out of bed quickly and walked upstairs to the bedroom that her baby shared with her brother Jack. She walked in and peered in to her daughter's crib. Four month old Hope just lay there staring back at Emma. Hope had stopped crying and had a smile on her face. Emma smiled back and picked her up and took her downstairs to the living room where she could give her a bottle.

Emma prepared the bottle and sat down in the rocking chair and started rocking Hope while she drank. Hope was quiet and just drank the milk. Emma began to rock. This was the same rocking chair that Emma's mom had rocked her in when she was a baby.

She looked down at Hope who was quickly devouring the contents of the bottle. "How did I end up here?" she asked herself quietly.

_Flashback_

_Emma threw the rest of her clothes in her duffle bag and headed towards the door of Sean's parents trailer in Wasaga.   
_

"_Emma, wait!" Sean yelled after her. Emma was already through the front door headed down the steps towards her car. She opened the trunk and threw the duffle bag in and headed towards the drivers side door._

"_Wait? Wait for what Sean? For you to break my heart again? You made yourself perfectly clear a few minutes ago. Your not coming back to Toronto no matter what. I can't believe I even came here this weekend. I let myself fall for you and then you throw me away like a piece of trash." Emma yelled at him. Tears started running down her face and she was breathing heavily._

"_No, no, no Emma. You don't understand. I love you Emma. But I can't come back to Toronto until I'm ready. Until I'm fully healed. If not, I'll just get in to trouble again. When I come back I want to be ready. You have to trust me on this." Sean headed towards her and reached out to touch her arm and try to comfort her. To show her how much he loved her but she wasn't interested in hearing him out._

"_I can't trust you Sean. Not anymore." She pulled away from him and got in and started the car. She pulled out of the driveway without even looking back at him. His mouth hung open. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He just lost Emma, possibly forever._

Emma shook her head and tried to forget about that weekend - the weekend that Hope was conceived. One day if Hope ever asked if she was conceived from love Emma knew she could honestly answer yes to that question. Her and Sean had always loved each other and that weekend had been full of love except for the last 10 minutes of it. But, Emma wondered, if Hope ever asked why her dad wasn't around how was she ever going to tell her daughter that he didn't even know she existed?


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI - UNFORTUNATELY.

Emma stopped rocking hope and picked her up placing her over her shoulder. She patted her back until she heard her burp a couple of times. She carried her back upstairs and placed her back in her crib. Hope yawned and looked like she was going to go right back to sleep. Even though going through the pregnancy alone and raising her daughter was hard, Emma still smiled. Hope brought a joy to Emma that was unexplainable to anyone who hadn't experienced motherhood yet. Emma whispered to her "Sleep tight honey. I'll be back in a couple of hours to get you when you wake up." She bent over the crib and placed a small kiss on the baby's forehead.

Emma went down to the kitchen to wash out the bottle and was startled by the sound of her mother in the kitchen. "Mom, what are you doing up so early? It's only 6:00am." Emma asked. Emma knew her mom didn't usually get up until at least 7:00am.

"Jack has an doctor's appointment this morning so I thought I'd get up early and get some stuff done around the house." her mom said hesitantly. "Em, there's something I think I should tell you."

Emma grabbed a glass of orange juice from the fridge and joined her mother who was now sitting at the table. "This sounds serious mom. Is everything okay with Jack? Snake?" Emma asked in concern.

"Jack and Snake are both fine. It's just that….how do I say this…." her mom stopped and thought for a moment before continuing. "Remember yesterday when I took Jack and Hope to the mall with me?"

"Of course." Emma replied. It was only yesterday, she wouldn't of forgotten about it this quickly. Emma had spent the afternoon catching up with Manny. It had been Emma's first baby free afternoon.

"I kind of ran in to Sean yesterday while I was at the mall." Emma's mom said.

"Sean? As in Sean Cameron?" Emma asked. Spike shook her head yes. Emma quickly got up from the table and started pacing around the kitchen. "What did he say? What is he doing back? Did he see Hope? Does he know?" Emma rambled a mile a minute asking these questions.

"Calm down Emma. Everything's going to be okay." Emma sat down even though she had enough energy now to run from one side of Toronto to the other. "Sean noticed me first and came up to say hi. He commented on how much Jack had grown since he had seen him last. He also noticed Hope and said congratulations and said he hadn't heard that there had been another Simpson-Nelson baby. I just said thanks and told him it was nice to have another baby in the household. I didn't tell him that it was your baby and I didn't correct him when he thought it was mine. He then proceeded to tell me that he is starting back at Degrassi this week. Today will be his first day."

Spike reached over to touch her daughter's hand to console her. "Mom, what am I going to do? He is going to be furious when he finds out I didn't tell him about Hope. I just couldn't take anymore rejection. I don't think I can face him." Emma started bawling and Spike got up from her seat and put her arms around her daughter.

"Shhh….shhhh….honey, everything's going to be fine. You can take today off school and stay home with Hope. I'll tell Snake to let them know at school that the baby wasn't feeling well and you stayed home to take care of her. I told him last night about running in to Sean. At least this will give you today to process and think about what you are going to do. I know you wanted to keep the father's identity a secret Em, but if Sean is back in town, he deserves to know." Spike, Snake and Manny were the only people who knew who Hope's father really was. Of course there had been rumors flying around school that had named several people - Jay, Chris, the new guy Peter, and even Toby. Surprisingly no one had guessed Sean.

"Ok Mom. I think I'm going to lie down for a couple of more hours until Hope gets up." They hugged one more time and Emma headed downstairs to her bedroom and flopped on to her bed. Emma could feel that today was going to be a long day. A day that would most likely go down in the history books.


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS

CHAPTER 3

Sean pulled in to the parking lot of Degrassi Community School. He couldn't believe he was finally back. This school brought back a lot of good and bad memories for him. He was going to try to stay positive this year and out of trouble so he decided he was only going to focus on the good.

He headed up the front steps and almost tripped over Spinner on the way up. Spinner looked up realizing it was Sean and got up and gave him a hug. "Sean man, what are you doing back?" Spinner asked.

"Just trying to get my diploma. I kind of missed this place you know. Looks like you must've too. Aren't you supposed to be graduated?" Sean asked.

"Supposed to be but things came up. You know how it is. Looks like we'll be spending Grade 12 together then." Spinner said. "Who's your homeroom?"

Sean looked down at his new school schedule and smiled as he saw the name listed under homeroom. "Mr. Simpson." he replied. Mr. Simpson had always been Emma's homeroom teacher and he was hoping that it was the same this year. He had so much he wanted to talk to her about. He was finally healed. He was finally ready to be the man she wanted him to be. He just hoped she would give him another chance.

"Come on Man. We're going to be late." Spinner said breaking Sean out of his thoughts. They ran up the stairs and headed towards the Media Immersion lab.

"As I live and breath, Sean Cameron." Mr. Simpson said extending his hand to shake Sean's. Sean shook his hand back.

"It's good to see you Mr. Simpson." Sean scanned the classroom looking for any sign of Emma. He spotted Manny with an empty seat beside her which probably belonged to Emma. "I don't see Emma in here Mr. Simpson. Is she still in this homeroom?"

"She is still in this homeroom." Mr. Simpson replied. He chose his next words wisely. "The baby wasn't feeling well so she stayed home to look after her today." Snake looked at Sean trying to figure out if he had heard that Emma had a baby. Sean just nodded his head and took the seat next to Manny seeming unphased by Snake's answer to his question.

"Sean?" Manny said surprisingly as she looked up and saw who was sitting next to her. She reached over and gave him a big hug. "It's so good to see you !" she squealed.

Sean hugged Manny back and chuckled. It appeared to him that Manny hadn't changed. She seemed to be the same energetic girl that she had been when he had left. "Do you think Emma is going to be home tonight?" Sean asked. "I'd like to see her."

"Ummm…." Manny hesitated as she thought about how she should answer that. Manny had received a text message to say that she wasn't coming to school today but would explain later. She had also mentioned in the text message that the reason the school thought she was out was the baby was sick. "Well….the baby hasn't been feeling well….ummm….maybe Emma has it now too….who knows….ummm….we wouldn't want you to catch anything." She fake smiled. Now it was Manny's turn to stare in to Sean's eyes to try to figure out if he had heard about the baby.

Sean wondered for a second why everyone close to Emma seemed to talk about the new baby at the Simpson-Nelson residence like they were walking on egg shells. He just chalked it up to them most likely being over tired with the new baby being in the house.

"Hopefully she'll be back to school tomorrow then. I won't go see her tonight." Sean said sounding a little disappointed. He had been looking forward to seeing her today. It had been over a year since he had seen her last he told himself. What was one more day anyway? It was a day that would seem like eternity he thought to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS

CHAPTER 4

Sean headed down the steps of Degrassi Community school relieved to be done his first day. It had went fairly quickly. He began to walk in to the parking lot towards his car when he heard a voice from behind him.

"School's just not the same without me, is it Cameron?"

He turned around to face Jay. He hadn't told Jay he was back in town. He actually hadn't told anyone he was back in town, not even Emma. He decided he would let people find out as he ran in to them. "Jay, man! It's good to see you!" Sean was about to give Jay a hug but then remembered that Jay really wasn't the hugging kind of person so he gave him a light punch on the shoulder instead.

"So what are you doing here?" Sean asked. "Waiting for Alex? I saw her in the hall today. I thought she was supposed to graduate last year."

"She did graduate actually. She's just back trying to get better grades so she can get in to university or something like that. But no, I'm not here for her. Alex and I are over. We have been for a while. I'm here for Spinner. There's a party in the Ravine tonight. Want to come?" Jay replied.

"Nah, I think I'm going to go home and start the calculus homework. Don't want to get behind this year. I was hoping to see Emma today but Mr. Simpson said the baby wasn't feeling well so Emma stayed home to take care of it."

Jay looked at Sean quizzically and said "So you heard about Greenpeace and the baby then?" and continued to stare at him.

"Yeah, I heard. Actually I ran into Spike at the mall yesterday with Jack and the baby. It seems like some things never change. It appears that Emma is still the one keeping the Simpson-Nelson household together as personal assistant, cook, baby-sitter, nurse….I was just surprised they made her take the day off school to look after Simpson's baby. I mean, they're the parents, shouldn't they have taken the day off instead of making Emma do it?" Sean asked. He was a bit upset with the situation. If one of her parent's had taken the day off at least he would've seen her by now and hopefully she would've been with him now instead of him wasting his time talking to Jay.

"I don't know what you've heard man, but…." Jay stared at Sean with a serious look on his face. "Dude that's not Simpson's baby. It's hers."

"Hers?" Sean asked taking a step back in shock. Emma's baby? Emma had a baby? Since when? Why hadn't anyone told him. He thought back to the weird looks he had gotten from Spike, Snake and Manny. They obviously didn't want to be the ones to tell him about it.

"How long ago did she have the baby Jay? How long ago?" Sean yelled in desperation.

"I don't know man. Maybe 3 or 4 months ago." Sean did the math in his head. It had been a little over a year since Emma had came to visit him in Wasaga that weekend when they had expressed their love for each other for the first time.

"I have to go see Emma." he said to Jay. Sean turned around and headed back towards his car in a hurry.

"She won't tell anyone who the father is." Jay yelled after him. "What makes you think she's going to tell you?"

He didn't answer Jay's question. Sean already knew who the father was. He just jumped in his car and headed to Emma's house.


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS!

Authors notes: Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. I will be updating regularly so keep on readin':)

Chapter 5

Sean brought his car to a sudden stop directly in front of the Simpson-Nelson household. He hadn't been to her house since the summer between Grade 9 & 10 which he had spent fixing Simpson's car. He jumped out of the car and headed to the front door knocking loudly.

Emma had heard the squeal of the tires outside their house. She peeked out the curtain to see who it might be. Her heart dropped. It was Sean. She saw him get out of the car and run to the front door. She knew someone must have told him it was her baby and that he had figured out that he was the father. He was now banging loudly on the door.

Snake, Spike & Manny appeared in the living room wondering what all the commotion was and who was knocking loudly at the front door. Emma froze. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face Sean right now. Especially if he was angry.

Snake walked over to the front door and opened it stepping outside to meet Sean. "Where is Emma Mr. Simpson? I need to talk to her? I need to talk to her now" Sean said in a loud tone with a hint of desperation.

"I don't know if it's a good time right now." Snake said in a calm voice. "Not with you acting like this." Sean looked down. He had promised to control his anger from now on but was surprised how quickly it had crept up on him again. His anger was different this time. He didn't feel like punching anyone out. He didn't feel like stealing anything to get revenge. He just wanted to talk to Emma.

"It's okay Dad. I got it." Emma said quietly as she stepped out on to the doorstep. Snake nodded at her and headed back in to the house closing the door behind him. She sat down on the front step and waited for Sean to sit down beside her.

Sean had a million questions to ask her but the second he saw her they instantly left his mind. He sat down beside her. His feelings of anger towards her for not telling him about the baby left his body. He stared at her. She was still the same Emma. She was just a little older and looked a lot more tired. He was speechless.

"Sean, look, I'm sorry you had to find out from someone else about the baby. I really wanted to tell you, I just couldn't." She looked down at her feet. She couldn't bare to look him straight in the eyes. She knew he must be disappointed and angry with her. He probably hated her more now then he ever had.

"Why couldn't you tell me about the baby Em? I would've been here for you. You wouldn't of had to go through this alone." Sean asked. He reached over and put his arm around her. She still continued to stare at the ground.

"Because I couldn't take the chance of you rejecting me again Sean. After everything we had been through and the shooting, I couldn't take it if you didn't want to be in our lives. I had to be strong and I couldn't have been if you decided you didn't want us." Emma felt a tear run down her cheek. She tried to wipe it away without him noticing but his thumb reached it first. He wiped it away and pulled her towards him and held her tightly.

His voice which had once been filled with angry tone was now soft and gentle. "Don't cry Em." he whispered. "What would ever make you think I didn't want you or that I wouldn't want to be a part of your lives?"

Emma sniffed and then answered his question happy to be in his arms once again. "When I left Wasaga beach and had asked you to come back to Toronto with me you said no. I figured that you weren't ever coming back. And I didn't want you to come back just because you felt obligated to."

Sean pulled Emma out of his arms and placed his forehead on her forehead so they were looking straight in to each others eyes. "Don't you understand Em?" Sean asked her. "I loved you then and I love you now. I loved you so much that I didn't want to come back here until I knew I was ready to be the man you needed me to be. I didn't want to come back here until I knew I wasn't going to mess up anymore."

"Does this mean what I think it means?" Emma asked him.

"Yes, it means that I want to be a part of your life and I want to be a part of the baby's life. I want to be with you everyday Em. I want to raise our child together."

She smiled at Sean excitedly. She leaned forward and placed her lips on his for the first time in a year. He kissed her back. They both had butterflies in their stomachs.

Sean pulled out of the kiss and stood up. "Can you wait here for a second. I have a present for you. It's in the car." He ran down to the car and returned within a minute with a small box in his hand.


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS

CHAPTER 6

Sean sat back down beside Emma and handed her the small velvet box. Emma immediately knew it was jewelry. Probably a pair of earrings she figured. She opened the box slowly and gasped as she saw the beautiful sapphire ring. "Sean" she managed to get out. "I don't know what to say. It's beautiful!".

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He took the ring out of the velvet box and placed it on her ring finger. As he slipped it on her finger he spoke. "This is a promise ring. The original plan was to wait and give it to you after we had been back together for a couple of months but in light of recent developments I figured now was the perfect time. I promise to love you. I promise to take care of you. And most importantly, I promise I will never leave you again. Someday, when the time is right, I will give you a diamond ring. Until then, when you look at this ring I hope it reminds you of this promise I just made to you."

Emma was beaming on the inside and the outside. For the first time in two years her heart felt whole again. She smiled at Sean and gave him another hug. He rubbed his hands up and down her back. Sean was happy that Emma seemed happy. He could hold her the whole night. Just as he thought of that he heard his stomach start to rumble.

"You hungry Em? I hear my stomach growling." Sean said.

"Actually I am kind of hungry. You want to go to the Dot and catch up?" Emma asked.

"Sounds perfect." Sean said kissing her hand.

Emma ran in to the house and grabbed her purse. She talked to her mom and her mom said she'd watch the baby while her and Sean went out. She went downstairs and changed her top. She brushed her hair and touched up her make up. She wanted to look perfect for him.

She went back outside and got in the passenger side of Sean's car. Ten minutes later they were seated at a table in the back corner of the Dot. They ordered and shared a chocolate milk shake while they talked.

"So tell me about our daughter Em." Sean said.

"Well, I named her after you." Emma started.

"You named her Sean?" Sean asked bewildered.

"No silly. I named her Hope after your middle name. She was born in August and weighed 8 lbs and 5 oz. My mom was with me in the delivery room. The delivery went pretty well. Of course it was painful and scary but when the doctor passed me the baby for the first time all of the pain I had felt disappeared." Sean smiled at her. It was surreal to believe that they had a daughter. Emma continued. "She sleeps well most nights. She only gets up once or twice a night for me to feed and change her. Right now she's staying in Jack's room because the basement is too damp for her. She's got your eyes you know."

"My eyes? I can't wait to meet her." Sean said. "I'm sure she's beautiful like her mother."

Emma blushed. Even though she had known Sean for six years he could still make her blush just by saying a few kind words. "You can come in when you drop me off if you like."

"I'd love to." There food order arrived and they ate and continued to catch up on what had been going on the past year. They finished their supper, Sean paid the bill and they headed back to Emma's house where Sean was going to meet his daughter for the first time.


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS but I do LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEE the show :)

Authors notes: Hi again guys! Thanks again for the reviews and I hope everyone else is enjoying the story. There will be some MAJOR DRAMA coming up...but it might not be until a couple of chapters from now. I'm still laying some foundation. I will be updating every day or every other day so stay tuned for more!

CHAPTER 7

Sean's stopped the car in front of Emma's house. They got out and headed towards the front door. Emma opened it first and taking Sean's hand guided him to the living room where they found her parents and Manny sitting watching television.

"Good to see you again Sean." Spike said to him. Snake nodded his head in agreement.

They all stood there in what seemed like forever in an awkward silence. Emma was the first to speak. "Sean and I have an announcement to make." She looked at her parents and Manny to make sure they were paying attention to her and not the television. She continued to hold Sean's hand as she finished the rest of her statement. "Sean and I have worked things out and we are together again. He is going to help raise our daughter. Speaking of our daugher, where is she mom? Sean would like to meet her."

"She upstairs sleeping. Has been for about an hour. It's time for her bottle anyway." Spike replied.

Emma brought Sean to the kitchen before heading upstairs to see the baby. "Time for lesson number one Sean." Emma smirked as she saw Sean nervously standing beside her in the kitchen.

"And what kind of lesson is this going to be?" Sean asked.

"How to prepare Hope's bottle." Emma said. She took out the can of powdered formula and set it on the counter. She told Sean how to exactly prepare it but let him do it himself. Five minutes later the bottle was ready.

"That's it? That's all I do?" Sean asked in amazement. He thought that this making bottle stuff was going to be harder than that.

"Looks like you aced your first lesson Cameron. Now time for lesson number two. Feeding the baby. Come on follow me."

Emma showed Sean to Hope and Jack's room. She quietly opened the door and walked with Sean over to the crib where Hope lay sound asleep. Sean peered over the side and looked at his daughter for the first time. She was beautiful. She had dark hair and green eyes. She seemed to be smiling in her sleep and this made him smile as well. For the first time in two years his heart was overflowing with joy. Emma could always fill his heart with joy but once you added Hope to the equation it overflowed.

Emma pointed at a rocking chair beside the crib and he sat down holding the bottle in his hand. She reached down and picked up Hope and placed her in Sean's arm. She helped him sit her just right so she'd be able to drink the bottle easily. Hope opened her eyes wide and stared at the man holding her. Sean whispered to her "Good evening beautiful. Did you have a nice nap? Your probably wondering who I am aren't you? I am your daddy and I am going to love you and your mommy forever. I'm gonna take care of you both cause you're my two favorite girls."

Emma couldn't believe the scene in front of her. Less than 24 hours ago Sean didn't even know that Hope existed and now here he sat rocking and feeding her and acting like he had been there since day one. She loved how he seemed so natural with her. She snuck out of the room for a second and returned a moment later holding her camera. This was a photo opportunity she didn't want to miss.

Sean noticed her pointing the camera and smiled as she took the picture. He usually hated getting his picture taken but this was definitely a photo he wanted to be in. It would be his first picture with his daughter and he was going to frame it and put it beside his bed. Thinking of his bed made him remember that he didn't technically have a bed. He had stayed at a motel last night and had been hoping to secure student welfare and get an apartment sometime this week. But now with Hope in the picture, he didn't know if he could stand being away from her every night. He wasn't sure what he was going to do but knew he would need to figure something out soon.


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR IT'S CHARACTERS...but if I could own one it would defenitely be Sean Cameron cause he's HOT!

CHAPTER 8

Hope finished the entire bottle of milk. Sean took it out of her mouth and placed it on the changing table that was beside the rocking chair. Sean knew from watching Emma with Jack a couple of years ago when Jack was a baby that burping came next. He picked Hope up and rested her against her shoulder and gently rubbed and tapped her back. He continued this until he heard a couple small burps come out.

Emma smiled in amazement that Sean had burped her automatically without being told. He was so good with her and he had only been around her for half an hour. "Here let me take her Sean. I'll change her diaper. You've learned a lot tonight so I'll wait and teach you that one tomorrow."

He passed Hope over to Emma not really wanting to let her go. He did realize though that he would get lots of opportunities in the future to hold her again. He watched Emma change her diaper and then change her in to some new clothes. Hope continued to stare at both parents. Emma tickled Hope to make her smile which in turn made Emma and Sean both smile.

Emma picked the baby up and handed her back to Sean. She could see in his eyes that he longed to hold her again. Emma straightened up the room and picked up the empty bottle. She didn't want Sean to leave but knew it was getting late and they both had school tomorrow so she should start thinking about getting to bed soon.

"Sean, I'm sorry to cut this short but it's getting kind of late so I should get to bed soon." she said to Sean.

Sean chuckled. "It's only 8:00pm Em. Since when is that late?"

"Since I know I'm going to be up probably twice in the night to feed her. I guess when I became a mom going to bed early just got programmed in to me." she replied. He'll understand what I mean soon she thought. "Where are you staying tonight Sean? I had forgotten to ask you earlier who you were staying with or did you get a new apartment since you got back in town?"

Sean didn't really want to tell her that he didn't really have a place to stay but knew he couldn't lie to her. "I don't really have a place to stay. I didn't want to bother anyone. Last night I stayed in a motel. I am hoping to secure student welfare and a new apartment sometime this week."

"I'll check with mom and Snake first but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you stayed here tonight." Emma offered. She really hoped they'd let him and she really hoped that he would accept the offer. She wasn't ready to say goodnight to him yet. It had been over a year since she'd spent time with him and she'd rather nothing more than to sleep in his arms tonight.

"Yeah, that'd be great." Sean said.

Emma headed down to the living room to talk to her mom and Snake. After explaining the situation of Sean's non-existent living arrangements they agreed to let him stay the night. They also agreed that they would all talk about a permanent living situation for Sean the next night at supper. Normally they would've requested Sean sleep on the couch if he stayed the night but had circumstances been different but since he and Emma were now parents and dating again they decided it was time to treat them like a mature couple and allow them to sleep in the same room. Manny decided she would take the couch for the night and let them have some privacy.

Emma ran back upstairs excited to tell Sean the good news. She ran her fingers gently over her lips before opening the door to Hope's room. She could still feel the kiss from him earlier tonight on her lips. She wondered what the rest of the night would bring.


	9. Chapter 9

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS!

Authors notes: Hey everyone! It's very exciting to know that people are still reading the story! Thanks for the reviews thus far. This chapter is a bit longer than my last ones...hope it will get you through the long weekend (well it's a long weekend in my province this weekend). I probably won't be posting again until Tuesday as I have company coming this weekend and a Hawaain party Saturday night that I have been looking forward to FOREVER! It's a party to celebrate the return of one of our friends who is just finishing his tour in Afghanistan. We are also saying a goodbye to another good friend who is getting posted out west. So if you want something more to read before Tuesday please check out the other story I wrote a few months ago called "Far Away Protector". It's another Semma fic. :) Have a great weekend everyone!

CHAPTER 9

As she stood outside Hope's bedroom door Emma thought she could hear something that strangely resembled singing. The door was open a crack and she peaked in to see Sean rocking Hope singing to her softly. "_Hush little baby don't say a word. Daddy's going to buy you a mocking bird. And if that mocking bird won't sing, Daddy's going to buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring…."_

Sean could feel someone watching him and looked up to notice Emma standing outside the door. Emma walked in and stood next to Sean and noticed Hope was fast asleep. "Nice job Cameron." she enjoyed calling him by his last name sometimes. It was her pet name for him. "Looks like your singing worked. She's fast asleep. Why don't you lay her in her crib and then we'll head to my room for a little R&R." She winked at him.

He got up and placed her in her crib kissing her softly on her forehead. Emma went over and kissed her softly on her forehead as well. Emma grabbed Sean's hand and led him downstairs to her bedroom.

"So your parents are cool with me staying the night Em? And they're cool with me staying down here with you?" Sean asked her as he sat down beside her on her bed. She explained the situation and how her parents had decided that they were going to treat them as a mature couple. He understood. They might just be teenagers but they were parents now. He appreciated that Snake and Spike had decided to treat them like parents.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute." Emma said to him. As she left for the bathroom Sean took off his shirt and pants and got in to bed. He did leave his boxers on though. This was the first time Sean had been in Emma's bed. He had seen her bedroom before when they had been dating in ninth grade but had never spent any amount of time in it. Now here he was laying in her bed and taking everything in. Her pillows smelled like her and so did her sheets. He could get lost in her scent. He closed his eyes and relaxed.

"You aren't asleep already are you?" Emma asked jumping on the bed and jumping on him.

"No, just laying here daydreaming about you." he replied. She got under the covers and cuddled up beside him. He put his arm under her neck and brought her close to him. They didn't speak but rather stared longingly into each others eyes. He had waited over a year to hold her again and touch her again and kiss her again so that was what he decided he was going to do. He closed the gap and placed his lips gently on hers. He parted her lips with his tongue and explored every millimeter of her mouth. He couldn't help but let out a soft moan. It felt so good to kiss her. He could tell she was getting into it as well.

They kissed for what seemed like hours but in reality was most likely just a couple of minutes. He felt her hands reach for his boxers and she was just about to slide one inside when a noise pushed them off of cloud nine and back to reality.

Sean searched for his cell phone as it continued to ring. He was ready to kill whoever was on the other end for interrupting his moment with Emma. He finally found it in the side of his duffle bag. "Hello?" he answered annoyed.

"Heeyyyyyyyy Cameron" Jay slurred his words as he spoke. "What ya doin' man?"

"Uhh…just hanging out at Emma's" Sean replied. He could tell Jay was drunk and was going to try to get him off the phone as quick as he could.

"How about you come meet me at the Ravine. There's some pretty hot girls waiting here to meet you." Jay said.

"No thanks man. I'm staying here tonight." Sean said.

"Lucky you. Greenpeace has gotten pretty hot over the last couple of years. Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Jay said.

"Alright man. I'm gonna go. Talk to you later." Sean said and hung up the phone and climbed back into bed beside Emma. "Sorry for the interruption Em. That was just Jay who is drunk at the ravine again."

"Jay?" Emma asked and her look of curiosity turned into a look of horror. "Uhh….what did he want?"

"Just wanted me to come out with him but I told him I was staying here with you tonight. Nothing in the world would be able to get me to leave here tonight." He replied and placed another gentle kiss on her lips.

Emma kissed back and went with it for another couple of minutes before rolling over and calling it a night. She laid in Sean's arms and within minutes he was fast asleep. Emma however was wide awake now. Just the thought of Jay calling Sean sent shivers down Emma's body and made her think back to the last time she and Jay had spent time together.

_Flashback_

_Emma turned off her car and sat there for a minute before getting out. She looked in the mirror and saw her red blotchy face. She had cried the whole way home from Wasaga and didn't want to show up at home like this. She just needed a few more hours to herself so she could pull herself together and pretend everything in her life was perfect._

_She wasn't sure why she had stopped at the ravine. She hadn't been back to the ravine since her time she had spent with Jay in the van. Something about the ravine was calming though so she decided to get out of her car and go for a walk. There didn't seem to be anybody around which she was thankful for._

_She spotted the picnic table that she had seen Jay sitting at only a few short months ago. She walked towards it and sat down. She leaned back and closed her eyes trying to get Sean out of her head. She was sitting there for a couple of minutes when she opened her eyes to see Jay standing before her._

"_Didn't think I'd ever see you here again." Jay said simply. _

"_Well life decided to give me another blow so here I am. I was just trying to avoid going home for a couple of hours until I pulled myself together." Emma replied. She didn't know why she had opened up to Jay but it had just kind of slipped out. She should hate Jay for what he did to her but she didn't. She knew she was just as guilty of what had happened the last time they were in the ravine._

"_Want to talk about it Greenpeace?" Jay asked sincerely. "It looks like your heartbroken and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess who broke your heart…….again."_

_Emma was a bit confused as to why Jay was being so nice to her but before she knew it she started babbling about everything that had happened between her and Sean that weekend. Jay listened to her and at the end of her story added his own opinion. _

"_Don't worry about Sean. He'll come back to his senses someday and will come running back here with his tail between his legs to come find you." Jay said. _

_  
"Why are you being so nice to me anyways?" she asked him quizzically. This was definitely out of character for Jay._

"_Because…" he stared into her eyes and what he did next shocked her. He leaned over and kissed her softly. She hesitantly pulled away the same as she had the first time he had kissed her in the ravine van just a few months ago. "I am a nice guy sometimes you know Emma. Just don't let my secret out okay."_

_She nodded her head. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the van. Her body went willingly but her mind was frozen. She didn't know why she was following him but she was. She climbed in behind him and he closed the door. He brought her close to him and began kissing her again._

_Thirty minutes later her brain became unfrozen and guilt started to filter in as she began to realize what her and Jay had just done. Prior to this weekend she had been a virgin and now within the span of two days she had slept with two different guys. _

Sean's snoring brought her back from the trip down memory lane. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Jay was the only one who knew her dark secret. She really had no idea which one of them was Hope's real father. Jay had tried to contact her a couple of times once he found out she was pregnant but she avoided him every time. She wondered how long Jay would keep his secret now that Sean was back in the picture and willing to raise Hope. She was just so happy to have Sean back but knew that more than likely the truth would be revealed eventually. Until then, she planned on living her dreams with Sean and Hope.


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI or ANY of IT's ChArAcTeRs!

Authors notes: As promised, here is the next chapter:) Got it up before midnight my time so it's still Tuesday! Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Emma looked down at her watch. It read 2:55pm. Five minutes and the bell would ring and as it was Friday they would all be off school for the weekend. Emma finished her last five minutes of class by writing a detailed note for Sean with Hope's feeding schedule. Emma had to attend the student council meeting after school and Sean would be looking after Hope by himself for the first time. The bell rang as Emma finished writing the note. She packed up her books and headed towards her locker.

She saw Sean leaning on her locker looking as cute as ever. "Hey beautiful" he said to her as she approached. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and handed him the note she had just written.

"This is Hope's schedule for feeding times. There are extra diapers in the upstairs closest if you need them. If you take her outside please remember to put on her hat and mittens as it is getting cold out now. If you need anything you can always call my cell." Emma rambled on. "Oh yeah, and…"

"Relax Emma. We'll be fine." Sean said cutting her off and reassuring her by putting his arm around her.

"I know you'll be fine. I'll be home by 5:00pm." They exchanged goodbye and Sean headed out the front door of Degrassi towards his car. He started his car and headed towards Hope's daycare.

Fifteen minutes later he and Hope were back home at the Simpson-Nelson residence. Sean found it hard to believe that one small child could need so much stuff. He dropped the diaper bag at the door and headed to the kitchen with Hope. He took a bottle out of the fridge and warmed it up. After it was ready he headed upstairs to the nursery with Hope and her bottle.

He rocked her as she drank the bottle. He talked to her about everything from what happened in school that day to car engines. She just stared at him with her huge eyes and appeared to take everything in. Sean was happy that his life seemed to be going right for once. Everything seemed to good to be true.

After Hope finished her bottle Sean changed her diaper and got her dressed to go outside for a walk. He figured a walk would kill the rest of the time until Emma got home. They had planned to stay in tonight and watch some movies together after Hope went to sleep. Mr & Mrs. Simpson had taken Jack and went away for the weekend. Manny had a date that night so after Hope went to sleep around 8:00pm the house would be all theirs. He had been looking forward to tonight ever since he found out on Tuesday that they'd have the house to themselves.

The air was warm for November but still cool enough that Hope needed her hat and mittens. Sean was wearing his black hat as well. He pushed the stroller down the street heading towards the park. He knew most guys his age would be embarrassed to be seen out in public alone pushing a stroller but he didn't care. Hope was his daughter and he was proud of her.

He stopped at a park bench and sat down. He grabbed a toy out of his pocket and waved it in front of Hope's face trying to make her laugh. A familiar rev of an engine caught his attention and he looked up towards the road. Slowed down in front of him was Jay's orange Honda Civic.

Jay got out of the car and ambled across the park towards Sean. "Hey Cameron. What's up?" Jay asked as he sat down beside him.

"Not much man. Just watching Hope while Emma's at her student council meeting." Sean replied still focusing his attention on the baby. Sean was still friends with Jay but hadn't really spent any time with him since he got back. Jay usually ended up getting him in some sort of trouble so he had decided to keep his distance, especially having Hope now.

"So this is Emma's baby. She's a cutie." Jay replied staring at the baby. It was the first time Jay had laid eyes on the baby and he was looking for any sort of resemblance.

"Actually it's not just Emma's baby. It's our baby." Sean stated. Sean was just getting used to the fact that she was half his.

"So she told you that you were the father?" Jay asked.

Sean looked at Jay with a puzzled look and thought back to the night when he had ran to Emma's house after hearing about the baby. "I guess she never came out and said I was the father but I know I am. She came to visit me in Wasaga around the time she would've gotten pregnant. It was our first time together and in the heat of the moment we didn't use protection."

"Greenpeace isn't as innocent as she looks you know." Jay said to him. Sean could feel the anger rising in his body. He did not like Jay talking bad about Emma.

"Listen Jay, enough's enough. I know about Emma and you in the ravine so you can stop beating around the bush. When she came to visit me that weekend in Wasaga she told me about it and how she earned the bracelets from you. I got upset at first but I've learned to deal with it." Sean shook his head. This was the last conversation he wanted to be having right now. He just wanted to hang out with Hope and forget about his and Emma's past relationship problems.

"Well someone had to pick up the pieces after you ran home to Wasaga Cameron. Just thought you should know that maybe that wasn't the only time I had to help Greenpeace forget about her broken heart." Jay looked down at Hope again knowing that she could possibly be his.

"What are you talking about Jay?" Sean asked annoyed.

"Just that Greenpeace took a little detour on her way home from Wasaga that weekend. I ran into her at the ravine and one thing led to another and 9 months later there was a baby." Jay said calmly with a smirk on his face which annoyed Sean even more.

Sean got up from the park bench and began to pace in front of it. This could not be happening he thought. Jay could not possibly be Hope's father. Sean was unsure of what to do next. He heard Hope crying in her stroller which stopped him from thinking for a moment and concentrated on her.

"I can't deal with this right now Jay. I can't deal with you. So you better get going before I make you get going." Sean tried to console Hope as Jay quickly left the park bench and headed to his car. Jay had been on the receiving end of Sean's punches before and didn't want to be again anytime soon. Jay knew he had said enough already.

Sean walked briskly back to the house and put Hope in her crib. Luckily she had fallen asleep on the way back. The clock in the living room read 5:00pm and Sean began to pace the floor as he waited for Emma to return. He wanted to scream and yell. He really wanted to punch something but again controlled his anger from becoming physical violence.

He heard a cab pull up outside the house and heard Manny and Emma laughing and carrying on as they climbed the stairs and entered through the front door. Emma's face dropped as she looked at Sean. She could tell by the looking at him that he was angry and she already knew why. Manny could tell by looking at Sean that he was angry as well and took that as her cue to exit quietly to the basement.

"Sean?" Emma asked carefully.

"How could you Emma? How could you not tell me about Jay? How could you…." he began to yell but then turned his back to her. He was not going to let her see him cry. He couldn't deal with this right now. He needed to be anywhere but there in that room with her. He headed towards the door.

"Wait Sean! Wait!" Emma called after him.

"I'm out of here." he said and slammed the door behind him. Emma leaned against the door and her body crumpled to the floor as tears streamed down her eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS

Chapter 11

Sean got in his car and started driving around the Toronto area unsure of where he was headed to. His brain was telling him to go back to Wasaga but his heart told him not too. He had tried running before and deep down he didn't want to run again. He just needed some time to figure out what was going on.

He looked up and realized he was driving by a graveyard. This was the graveyard that he had heard Rick Murray had been buried in. Sean had never been to his grave before. Sean pulled in and got out of his car. For some strange reason he felt like he needed to be there in that graveyard at that moment. Rick's actions had caused life at Degrassi to change. Rick's actions had also caused Emma to change Sean thought. The old Emma never would've ran to the ravine and let Jay help her with her problems. The old Emma would've fought them head on. Sean had noticed since he had been back that her inner fire didn't seem to be burning as bright as it once had.

Sean looked up and down the rows searching for Rick's grave. He had tears streaming down his face. He needed to find his grave and maybe get some closure so he could move on and deal with the problem at hand.

"If your looking for Rick's grave it's over that way" he heard a voice behind him. There stood Toby pointing his finger over to a grave stone a few feet away.

"Toby, what are you doing here?" Sean asked trying to hide his tears. Sean didn't like to let anyone see him cry, especially another guy.

"I come here sometimes when I'm having a bad day. I ask out loud why Rick had to bring the gun to school that day and why he had to shoot Jimmy. Rick was my best friend and I just want to know why. I feel like I need to know in order to get over this whole thing." Toby answered quietly. Toby and Sean had never been great friends but they understood each other. Sean nodded his head in agreement to Toby's statement. "So now you tell me….what are you doing here Sean?"

Sean kicked some dirt with his foot and hesitated before answering. He wasn't the type of person to open up and spill his heart out. "Emma and I kind of had a fight."

"You and Emma had a fight? Well that's nothing new. Must be something pretty serious if your all the way out here." Toby said.

"It is. I'm just not sure I can forgive her for this." Sean said simply not telling him what Emma had done. He was so upset Emma had slept with Jay and the fact that now there was only a 50 chance Hope was his. Sean had fallen in love with Hope instantly and hated to think that he might not be her father.

"If anyone could teach you a lesson on how to forgive it would definitely be Emma." Toby said defending his friend. Toby and Emma had been friends since Grade 7 and though he had always had a crush on her since then he still realized she loved Sean and always would. Toby was willing to do anything to keep her happy. Toby continued "She forgave you for pushing her down in Grade 7. She forgave you for getting drunk in Grade 8. I know she even forgave you after the shooting for the way you treated her after breaking up with her in Grade 9. You could do almost anything to her and I'm sure she would forgive you."

Sean nodded his head in agreement to Toby's statement. Toby was right. Emma had always forgiven Sean no matter what. She never looked down on him for things he had done wrong in his past. She inspired him to be a better person.

"We were all there that day Sean." Toby said pointing to Rick's grave. "You, me and Emma. We saw him with the gun. All of us were at risk of dying that day. But the difference between you and Emma is that you got to go home to Wasaga and heal while she was haunted by that day every time she walked down the halls of Degrassi. I know she can't use that as an excuse for all of her problems forever. She's been sad the past year and a half but this week has been the first time where I've seen her smile all week long. You make her happy Sean. She needs to be happy so please try to work whatever the problem is out. She needs you."

Sean replayed Toby's last sentence in his head over again. She needs you. Sean had always knew he needed Emma in his life but had never stopped to think that maybe she needed him just as much as he needed her.

Sean thanked Toby for the talk and headed back towards his car. He knew what he had to do.


	12. Chapter 12

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS

Authors Notes: Sorry guys for the length in between posts! I tried most of the day yesterday to put this up but something was wrong with the website and it wouldn't let me upload any documents...so here it is now! Enjoy!

CHAPTER 12

As Sean parked his car in front of the Nelson-Simpson residence he noticed all of the lights were off inside the house. He sat in his car for a moment pondering the past. Their relationship over the last 6 years had so many ups and downs. Sean was not going to let her down again. He had let her down in Grade 7 by pushing her. He had let her down in Grade 8 by getting drunk. He had let her down in Grade 9 by dumping her because she hadn't been spending much time with him mostly because Snake had been sick with cancer. He let her down in Grade 10 when he ran off to Wasaga after the shooting. Emma needed someone to help her deal that understood and he wasn't around to help her. He let her down again in Grade 11 when she had come up to visit him in Wasaga and he would not come back to Toronto with her. He wasn't going to let her down anymore. If she'd take him back she'd prove to him that he had changed.

He pulled out his key and unlocked the front door. He walked in and closed it quietly behind him. The house was silent. He turned on the living room light and jumped back when he saw Emma sitting there staring into space. He hadn't noticed her sitting on the couch as the room had been dark.

He sat down beside her on the couch and put his arm around her. She snapped out of her trance and began to cry. He pulled her closer and she sobbed into his chest. "Shhh….it's okay Em. It's going to be okay Em." he said to her while stroking her blonde hair with his hand.

"I'm so sorry Sean. I'm so sorry." she said in between sobs.

He held her for a couple of more minutes before he told her what was on his mind. He heard her sniff a couple of times and figured she was done crying for a few minutes so he pulled her away from his chest so he could talk to her face to face. "Em. I'm sorry I ran out on you earlier. I was just upset and didn't want what I had heard from Jay to be true. I had some time to think the past couple of hours and if you'll let me I'd still like to be a part of yours and Hope's life. I want to help take care of you both and be there when either one of you need me."

"You still want to raise Hope even if she might not be your baby?" Emma asked him.

He nodded his head yes and explained why. "You grew up without a father Em so you know what that's like. I had a father but not a very good one. I think Hope deserves to have a father around. I love her so much already and I don't want to give her up. So if you'll let me I want to be her dad."

Sean stared into Emma's eyes waiting for an answer. She simply nodded her head yes and gave him a huge hug. "I love you Sean Cameron" she whispered in his ear.

"I love you too Emma Nelson" he whispered back. They held each other for a moment and Sean whispered in her ear again "Is the baby asleep?" he asked.

Emma pulled away and said "Yes, she's in bed for the night."

"So the baby's asleep, your parents and Jack are gone for the weekend and Manny's out for the night. We have the whole house to ourselves. I wonder what we could do?" Sean said as he winked at her.

Emma giggled. "Oh, I'm sure we can come up with something." she said. Sean stood up from the couch and picked her up in his arms and headed towards the basement stairs.

"Sean, can I ask you one more thing before we go downstairs for our tres romantic night." she asked with a serious look on her face.

"Ask me anything, gorgeous." he said.

"What are we going to do about Jay?"

"Leave Jay up to me. Hopefully he won't bug us about this but if he does we'll deal with it when the time comes." he replied. He carried her down the stairs to the basement and playfully threw her on the bed and then jumped on beside her. Little did they know Jay wasn't going to give up so easily.


	13. Chapter 13

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI!

CHAPTER 13

Emma woke up gradually and rolled over to put her arm around Sean. She was surprised to find herself alone and the spot where Sean had been sleeping empty. She sat up and looked at the alarm clock. It read 8:00am. She then realized she hadn't fed Hope in the middle of the night.

"Sean?" she yelled from her bed while starting to get out of it.

"Stay down there Em. I got a surprise for you." Sean yelled back from upstairs. She got back under the covers and waited for the surprise. Her stomach was growling so she hoped that his surprise involved food.

Sean made his way down the stairs a couple of minutes later with Hope and passed her to Emma. He kissed Emma good morning and headed back up the stairs to get her surprise. A minute later he emerged with a tray of breakfast. He had made all of her favorite breakfast food. He had even made her eggs heart shaped using her mom's heart shape mold.

"Aww….Sean. This is so sweet! Thank you!" she said as he put the tray over her lap. He took Hope back from her and sat beside her on the bed and watched her as she took her first bite. "Mmmmm….this is good."

"So what did you want to do today Em?" Sean asked. Her parents wouldn't be home until Sunday afternoon and it was possible that Manny wouldn't be home until then either. Emma looked forward to spending the day and part of tomorrow alone with Sean and Hope as a family.

Emma swallowed the food she had in her mouth and replied "Well I thought maybe we could go to the mall for a while. I'd like to start picking up a few Christmas gifts for Hope. After that I thought maybe we could watch a movie or something."

Emma finished her breakfast and headed to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. Sean headed back upstairs with the breakfast dishes in one hand and Hope in the other. He hadn't slept much as he had been up twice in the night to feed Hope. He didn't mind the lack of sleep though. He was happy that Emma got to sleep through the entire night for once.

About an hour later they were all ready and headed out to the mall. As it was still early the mall was fairly empty and they enjoyed being able to browse leisurely without the crowds. They stopped at the toy store first to pick out a couple of things they may want to buy Hope for Christmas. Emma looked at the learning activity toys while Sean had his eyes on other items. "Hey Em, why don't we get her this for her?" he asked pointing at a brand new Play Station 3.

"Very funny Sean. She's 4 months old. Ask me again in about 10 years, then we'll consider it." she said laughing.

"A guys gotta try right?" he said winking at her. They continued shopping at the toy store and then went on to some other stores. Emma picked up a couple small Christmas gifts for Hope and also a few for Jack. She was happy to be able to stay she had finally started her Christmas shopping.

After spending a couple of hours shopping they decided to leave the mall and head to "the Dot" for lunch before heading back to the house. They walked in and noticed that it was quite busy. They spotted an empty table in the back corner and headed for it not noticing that Jay and Alex were sitting a couple of tables away.

"Hey Sean. Hey Emma." Spinner said as he approached their table and took out his pad of paper to take their order.

"Hey Spin." Sean said back to him. "I think we're going to have a burger each and we'll share an order of fries. I'll have coke to drink with mine."

"And I'll have water. Oh and Spin, make my burger Vegetarian please." Emma added. Spinner wrote down their order and walked out back to give it to the cook. Hope started crying and Emma pulled the bottle out of the diaper bag that she had brought along with them to feed her.

"I can feed her Emma." Sean said and picked Hope up out of her stroller. She instantly stopped crying the second Sean picked her up. Emma smiled and handed him the bottle.

"Well what do we have here?" said a voice from behind them. They both looked up to see Jay standing there with a smirk on his face. "Cameron feeding a baby. Now I never thought I'd ever see that. Besides, I had money on the fact that you'd run back to Wasaga after I divulged the secret to you yesterday."

Sean handed Hope over to Emma and stood up from his seat and stood face to face with Jay. "I'm here to stay this time so you better get used to it. Nothing you can say or do will make me leave." Sean didn't yell at Jay. He didn't even raise his voice. He spoke confidently while trying to get his point across to him.

Jay took in the words Sean said and slowly nodded his head. Though Sean was speaking in a calm voice Jay was not. His voice was loud enough so everyone in the restaurant could here him. "If you think I'm just going to walk away from this Cameron, your wrong. That baby is possibly half mine and just because you've decided to step up and be a father doesn't mean I'm just going to stand here and let you. It's not over." Jay turned around and walked out the front door of the dot. Everyone in the restaurant stared at their table. Luckily Spinner saved the moment by turning on some music and after a few seconds everyone was back in to their previous conversations.

Spinner brought over their food and Emma and Sean ate in silence. Sean reached his hand across the table and put it on top of Emma's trying to reassure her that everything would be okay. A tear fell from Emma's eyes and Sean reached over and wiped it away. "Don't let him get to you Em. Don't let him get the best of you. We're going to make it through this. I promise." Sean said reassuring her again.

"Ok." That was all Emma could manage to say at this time. They finished their meal and headed back to her house.


	14. Chapter 14

Authors Notes: Wow! Almost 2 months since I've updated...sorry guys. Now that Degrassi just came back on I'm inspired to start writing again. This chapter is very short but will post more soon. Happy reading )

Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of it's characters.

CHAPTER 14

Bang! Bang! Emma rolled over in bed to look at the alarm clock. It was 9:00pm on a Wednesday. She wondered who on earth would be knocking on the front door at this time of night. Sean sat straight up in bed as he heard the knock on the door. Emma's parents were away for a couple of days with Jack so she doubted it was one of them.

Sean cautiously made his way up the basement stairs towards the front door. He grabbed a baseball bat along the way just in case. He had fell asleep over an hour ago and had been startled by the loud banging on the front door.

He slowly opened the door to see who was standing on the other side. He saw a man in his mid 40s dressed in a nice suit. "Hello, I am looking for Miss Emma Nelson." the man said holding an envelope in his hand.

"What's this about?" Sean asked gruffly not budging from in front of the door.

Emma made her way upstairs to see who was at the front door. She stood in the doorway beside Sean.

"I'm Emma Nelson." Emma said.

"Miss Nelson, this is for you." the man said handing her an official looking sealed envelope. He continued to speak "I am a lawyer representing Mr. Jason Hogart and this is a court ordered request for a paternity test for Hope Cameron. As you will see read on the letter, the Paternity test must be conducted within 48 hours and we will have the results will be delivered in court at 9:00am on December 23rd. Have a nice night." The man turned around and walked away.

Emma and Sean both stood in the doorway in shock for a moment letting what the man said sink in. "That's it!" Sean said angrily. "I'm going after him. He cannot do this to us." Sean got his jacket and headed towards the door.

"Wait!" Emma yelled after him. "Going after Jay is not going to help the situation. Getting in a fight with him is just going to get you in trouble. I'm going to go talk to him. I am the one that got is in to this situation and I am going to get us out of it."

Sean slowly took off his jacket realizing that what Emma said made sense. He knew Emma would handle this situation a lot more calmly then he would. "Alright, you go then. But take your cell phone and promise me that you will call me if any sort of trouble comes up. If Jay doesn't change his mind after you talk to him then we're going to have to do things my way."

Emma leaned over and kissed Sean goodbye before heading out the door. "Don't worry Sean," she said. "Everythings going to work out." She headed out the front door and into the dark night.


	15. Chapter 15

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DEGRASSI or ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS

Chapter 15

It was a cold night but that still didn't stop the regulars from hanging out down at the ravine. The ravine was a parent free zone where they could do almost anything they wanted. Emma spotted Jay's orange Honda Civic right away and pulled up beside it in Sean's car. She spotted frost on the window of Jay's car which meant he had been out there at least a few hours. She was unsure of what state he would be in at this time of night. She also wondered if he had chosen drugs or alcohol as his escape tonight.

She walked towards the fire and spotted a few guys sitting on the picnic table next to it. She saw Jay sitting in his usual spot with his black hat on backwards. He spotted her as well and started to get up off the picnic table almost stumbling in the fire. "Yo, Greenpeace." he said as he walked towards her. "What are you doing here?"

"I think you know Jay." Emma responded quietly.

"Guess that means you met my lawyer then." he replied back.

"I did. I need to talk to you alone and it's freezing out here. Come back with me to Sean's car. We have some important things we need to discuss." Emma said.

"Pretty girl invites me back to her car….now you know I can't say no to that." he laughed and started to stumble again. Emma went over to him and put her arm around him to help him up and help him over towards the car. She could tell he was loaded. She felt sorry for him actually. She knew he spent many nights doing this.

Emma opened up the passengers side of Sean's car and guided Jay until he was sitting down. She went over to the other side of the car and got in the drivers side. "So what's up with you tonight Jay? Are you drunk, high or both?"

"I do believe that is none of your business." Jay replied gruffly.

"Actually you have now made it my business. It appears you want to be a part of Hope's life. If you are in fact her father, you need to start acting like that one. You will definitely not win a father of a year award by hanging out down here every night getting drunk."

"I suppose you're right." he said solemnly.

"I have a question for you Jay. Why do you want to be a part of Hope's life?" Emma asked seriously.

Jay sat there for a minute staring at the floor of the car. He turned to face Emma and then answered. "I never knew my father. I don't even know his name. My mom got pregnant her second year in college by a guy she had been casually dating. When she told him she was pregnant he split. Growing up I always wondered about him and always hoped that one day he would come back looking for me. He never did. If Hope is my child I can't give up on her. I can't let her grow up wondering why her father abandoned her." A small tear rolled down Jay's cheek but he quickly wiped it away hoping Emma didn't notice and stared at the floor of the car again.

Emma reached her hand out to Jay's face and turned it so he was looking at her. Her heart went out to him. She understood how he felt as she had grown up without a father herself. "Jay, we come from the same place. You know I didn't grow up with a father in my life either. The difference between us and Hope is that she has a father who loves and cares for her and who would do anything for her. She has Sean in her life. Sean and I love each other a lot and plan on spending the rest of our lives together. Sean is good to us and will take care of both of us. He's in school and also working part time at the garage. He plans on working there full time next year. I have one request for you. If you really want to do what is best for her, you need to let her go. I do not believe you are ready to be a father yet. You need to get your life in order and then come back an see me."

Jay mulled over her words and nodded his head in agreement. He knew he wasn't ready to be the father Hope deserved. He also knew how much his best friend (or ex-best friend) loved her even if might not be his child.

"So does this mean you will drop the paternity test?" Emma asked curiously.

"It's too late." Jay replied. "The documents have already went through the courts. We have to go through with this now."

"Oh, Ok." was all Emma could manage to get out. Emma knew that if the results of the test turned out that Jay was the father then he would then have a right to fight for partial custody of Hope. Emma just wanted Hope to have a normal childhood and did not want to put her through all that.

Jay could sense Emma was worried and leaned over and gave her a hug. Jay could be a nice guy sometimes. "Let's just get through this paternity testing first before you start worrying about the future. I know I've been kind of harsh towards you and Cameron since he came back to town. I promise I'll be civil with you two now if you two can agree to be civil towards me." Jay said.

Emma nodded her head. "I think we can do that." she said. "I should get going. Would you like a lift home?"

"Sure, that would be great." Jay replied smiling. Emma smiled back. For the first time since she found out she was a pregnant she felt fine. She wasn't sure what the future held but was hopeful that everything would turn out fine.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi or any of it's characters...because if I did own Degrassi I would have had Season 7 started on CTV by now! Hopefully soon!**

**Authors notes: Hi guys! VERY VERY short chapter but I'm back. I hope to continue updating regularly. Enjoy!**

Sean paced the living room floor at the Nelson-Simpson household waiting for Emma to return. He looked down at his watch. It seemed like it had been hours since she had left but in reality it had only been about 45 minutes. He was just about to phone her on her cell phone to see if she was alright when the front door opened and Emma walked in.

"Emma, you're back!" Sean exclaimed and walked over to hug her. "Did you find Jay? What happened?"

Emma took off her jacket and hung it up on the coat rack. She grabbed Sean's hand and walked him over to the couch where they both sat down. "I found Jay. He was loaded but we ended up having a good chat." Emma said and then filled him in on everything her and Jay had talked about.

"So where do we go from here?" Sean asked her seriously. He was nervous because he feared if the results showed Jay as the father that there was a small chance that Emma might want Jay in Hope's life instead of him.

Emma sensed Sean's nervousness and tried to calm his fears. "Where do we go from here?" she repeated his question before answering it. "We take Hope to the paternity testing and find out the results. But I don't need to know the results in order to know who Hope's father is. You are Hope's father. I know there may be a chance that you are not her father by blood but you are her father by love. I want you in Hope's life no matter what we find out. Ok?"

"Ok." he answered back quietly.

She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. "I think there's been enough drama for today. How about we get some sleep?" And with that they headed back downstairs to their bedroom.


	17. Chapter 17

-1"Emma, Emma, wake up." Sean said as he lightly nudged Emma trying to pull her out of her deep sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep a wink all night fearing what the day may bring.

"Huh?" Emma said groggily. She rolled over to look at the alarm clock and it read 6:30am. She was on Christmas break from school and for a moment forgot why Sean would be waking her up this early. She quickly remembered that today was the day that they were to find out the results of the paternity test. She sat up in bed, stretched and then laid back down in Sean's arms. "Did you get any sleep at all Sean?"

He yawned. "Not much but hopefully after today all of our troubles will be behind us." he said and kissed her on her forehead. They laid there for another couple of minutes before getting up and getting ready for their 9:00am court appearance.

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Two and a half hours later they were seated with their lawyer waiting for the judge to walk in with the results. Spike and Snake were in the small courtroom gallery holding Hope while Emma and Sean sat with their lawyer. Jay was sitting with his lawyer at the table next to them.

Emma held Sean's hands which were becoming sweatier by the minute. "It's going to be okay Sean" she whispered in his ear trying to relieve some of the nervousness. He nodded his head taking in her words but holding his breath until he found out the results.

"Please all stand for the honourable Judge McKeen." Everyone in the courtroom stood and stayed standing until they were told to be seated.

Judge McKeen pulled some papers out of a file and began to speak. "We are here today to find out the results of the paternity test for Hope Cameron. Would Sean Cameron and Jason Hogart please stand." The boys both stood up and looked directly at the judge. "After scientific testing at the University of Toronto's paternity testing lab it has been found that with a 99.9 certainty that the father of Hope Cameron is……"

Emma closed her eyes and prayed over and over again in her head 'Please let it be Sean. Please let it be Sean. Please let it be Sean.'

"……Sean Cameron. The courtroom may be dismissed" Emma leapt out of her seat and hugged Sean. Spike and Snake stepped forward with Hope to join them in a group hug. Everyone was so happy. Out of the corner of his eye Sean noticed Jay and his lawyer walk out the door. He whispered in Emma's ear that he would be back in a minute and he would meet them in the car.

Sean rushed out to the courthouse front doors searching for Jay. He spotted Jay leaning up against the side of the building smoking a cigarette. "Jay." Sean said approaching him. They hadn't spoken since the day in the park when Jay had told Sean that he could possible be the father.

"Cameron." Jay said as he took another drag from his cigarette. "It looks like the better man won."

"It has nothing to do with who is the better man Jay. This outcome is what is best for Hope. Emma and I love each other and I love Hope."

"I know you love them man. Part of me was hoping that I was the father because I thought maybe it would add some purpose to my life." Jay said as he threw the butt of his cigarette to the ground and stomped it out. "It's two days before Christmas and I have no plans. It looks like I'm destined to spend another holiday alone."

Sean looked at his one time best friend and truly felt sorry for him. Sean had been there himself but had now found lots of purpose since he had moved back from Wasaga. He knew Jay was in need of his best friend again and after everything they had been through together Sean decided to make room in his life for Jay again. "You don't have to spend the holidays alone you know. There's always extra room at the Simpson-Nelson household. I'm sure they wouldn't mind if you came over for Christmas dinner." Sean said extending the invitation to Jay.

"Nah, I couldn't do that. Plus I think Greenpeace would probably serve my head on a platter if I showed up on Christmas day."

"Emma's not mad at you Jay. Emma and I had a couple of conversations about what we would do if you turned out to be Hope's biological father. We both have got used to the idea that you may be in Hope's life. So why don't you come over for Christmas dinner and get to know her. After all, she could always use an uncle."

Jay pondered what Sean had offered for a minute before answering. "Are they having dressing with the Christmas dinner?"

Sean laughed. "Of course." he answered.

"Then count me in." Jay said.

Emma watched from the car as the boys shook hands and Sean headed back towards the car. She looked over at Hope who was sleeping peacefully in her car seat. 'Everything is going to be just fine' she thought. 'Everything is going to be just fine.'

**...The End **

**Authors notes: I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read my story and reviewed it. Stay tuned as I am planning on starting another Semma story shortly called "Summer Love". **


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